If you’ve been enjoying the world, tension, and anomalies of Stalker 2 but felt isolated exploring The Zone by yourself, Pioner is the game for you. This hard sci-fi and Soviet FPS is all about surviving untold monsters and hunting for the secrets they guard, but in the environment of an MMO. With the Pioner launch now set for 2025 the game also finally has a Steam page and new trailer, so you can get ready ahead of time.
Pioner is a lot of things. According to developer GFA Games, it’s part FPS, survival game, and MMO, with a sprinkling of PvE and PvP for good measure. Set on the island of Tartarus, a desolate landmass littered with the remnants of Soviet-era structures and strange monsters, Pioner is immediately reminiscent of Metro and Stalker. Instead of fighting off the Sovietized horrors alone, though, you can explore the island with other players in tense PvE action.
Even though there are other players, you still have a story campaign you can make your way through. You’ll also need to master the survival mechanics, weapon customization, and crafting system if you want to stay alive.
There are PvP arenas, social clans, raids, and more to get you involved with the rest of the community. You can also try your luck in the Shadowlands, an Escape From Tarkov-style extraction mode that’s all about high-stakes survival and treasure hunting.
If you want to take the game for a spin ahead of launch, the Pioner beta sign-ups are still available on the GFA Games website. You’ll be notified via email if you’ve successfully made it into the testing group.
The Pioner Steam page is up right now, with the game now set to release sometime in 2025. You can wishlist Pioner here.
While you wait for Pioner to launch, we’ve got all the best multiplayer games and apocalypse games you can try in the meantime.
You can also follow us on Google News for daily PC games news, reviews, and guides, or grab our PCGN deals tracker to net yourself some bargains.